The loves of my life

Real men do ballet.....rant of an angry mummy

2010-08-10T17:15:00.002+10:00

So usually I am a calm blogger who thinks through carefully about what I am going to say/write because I like to express myself in a certain way but right now I am SO FRIGGING ANGRY I just have to blog and get this out of my system before my head explodes with annoyance and with the feelings of total gender injustice!!!

So as most of you know my gorgeous son Peter who is 5 has started ballet lessons, in fact he had his first lesson yesterday and if I do say so myself looked incredibly sweet in his dance pants and ballet shoes I was so proud of him. He has been asking/begging for dance lessons periodically for about 6 months and at first I resisted thinking he would grow out of it to quickly changing his mind the way he changes his undies and if I am being honest I would say I also resisted because I was afraid of what people would say about him having the lessons, but the more he asked for them the more I began to see that ballet was something he was very passionate about and when my eldest brother Adam (who is very much a mans man football player soccor coach etc etc) said to me "if he wants to dance let him dance who the hell cares as long as his happy, I will come and watch him dance" I felt it a turning point in my attitude he was right the most important thing was that Peter was/is happy and if dancing makes him happy so be it. We looked around and with the input of Aunty Lanii (the dance queen) have found a local place that is really good with a great reputation. Peter was incredibly excited about his lesson yesterday and for a boy who can be a bit shy when trying new things he took to it with ease and had a ball. I am so happy that HE is happy...

Well I was happy until I told my mother about his lessons and that we had gone ahead with them for him she laughed and in a somewhat sarcastic tone informed me that it was "no surprise" that Peter would be dancing, then I got told that "he isn't really a sporty person and he will probably change his mind anyway, maybe he will do tennis since he will never play football" OH MY GOD!!!!! I was SO angry!!!!

And maybe it seems like I am airing "family dirty laundry" but ya know what this is my blog and I am annoyed and I gotta say what I feel. YES Peter is a sensitive and feminine boy YES he cries easily and NO he doesn't like football or rough play He would prefer to do craft then kick a ball or wrestle this doesn't make him any less of a boy, for frig sake we are talking about a 5 year old here I really don't think that ballet dancing is going to "turn" him gay, if he is gay he is gay dancing won't make or change that and that is something we will have to work through and process with him when he is older but for now how about we just let the little guy be happy and frigging DANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If he is teased at school by other boys or bully's he will have the confidence and conviction to stand up for himself knowing that it is HIS choice to dance and that he is allowed to be who he is and he has the right to do what makes him happy (as long as he isn't hurting anyone or himself) and not be some created image of what society thinks a man is supposed to be, here's a heads up men can cry and still be men, men can dance and still be men and men can treat woman with kindness and respect and still be men. I am raising little men not sheep!!! I am proud of my boy and his choice and am happy he is off the couch getting some healthy exercise and most importantly he is having FUN doing what makes him happy and as a parent how can I want anything less for him..Thus end the rant!!!!

We are weaners!!! End of the breastfeeding journey.

2010-07-05T05:56:00.008+10:00

So as most of you who follow along here on my little blog know I have been a breastfeeding mum for over a year now (go me!!)You all know the internal battle I experienced to get to a place where I was comfortable and confident enough to actually even try breastfeeding with Olivia. It had been a bit of a battle but I am so proud of myself as I worked very hard on getting through my emotional reservations and issues with breastfeeding.

Olivia and I have enjoyed a fabulous time boobing away for the first 14 months of her life, however a month ago I started feeling the desire to reclaim my body, after two pregnancies very close together (and I DO mean very close there is only 4 months between my pregnancy with Mikey and my pregnancy with Olivia)and breastfeeding for 14 months I really felt like I was loosing myself a bit and wanted to reclaim my body..including my boobies.

I have had a wonderful and loving experience breastfeeding Livvy-bug and although it was originally my plan to feed her until she was 2 years old physically and emotionally I have gotten to a place where I feel I am done. Olivia was no longer at a stage of having a breastfeed for a meal, as a newborn would be solely dependant on milk for there food requirements Olivia eats a massive range of foods and was only having a big drink at night and popping on and off the boob during the day for quick drinks, it became (if I am being honest) a bit frustrating for me to literally have her attach for 35 seconds so after discussion with my amazingly supportive hubby we decided to end our breast feeding relationship. Extremely happy in the knowledge that I have given her a wonderful and healthy natural start during the past month we have transitioned or weaned off the breast and onto a bottle for night time and a sippy cup for during the day.
Olivia has taken to it with gusto and enthusiasm which has made the whole process very easy. Her big sister Malinda has enjoy being able to share cuddles and give Livvy her night time bottle sometimes this is such a lovely sight for us as their parents to see.

Olivia and I would like to thank everyone who has supported encouraged and given us advice and help during our breastfeeding relationship, especially Meegs Beer, Sarah Mac, Sazz Langford and my hubby, Liv's Daddy David who has been amazingly supportive as he and I both did the learning and journey of feeding our daughter together.

Busy blogger returns with a new address!

2010-06-22T12:36:00.007+10:00

so I have been insanely busy the past couple of months and as such my beloved blog has become very neglected, to be honest I have really struggled to find the time to just sit and write... and even as I am typing this post I am attempting to keep one eye on Mr Mikey who is currently trying to help himself to the pantry.

So the big news for team Tredinnick and probably the biggest thing that has kept me away from blogging is real estate. We decided to sell our home and upgrade to a bigger house as our family of 6 had really begun to out grow our 4 bedroom house with no back yard that the kids could play in. I had been feeling guilty for some time that the children didn't have a safe area to play outside as the retainer walls had fallen down in our backyard and with a quote of $30,000 to fix them (something we just didn't have at the time) they were left all over the yard and the children have been forced to only play indoors unless visiting a park. Then a couple of months ago hubby completely shocked me by suggesting we get an agent round to value the house and get it on the selling market,... to be honest I was really surprised by this seemingly out of the blue suggestion as hubby is not known for his spontaneous decisions and usually most things require months of thought and planning if he is going to make a change (I was to later find out he had been thinking about selling the house on and off for almost 2 yrs, so this explained so called spontaneity hee hee) after meeting with a couple of agents we decided on one and got to the business of making the house tidy and presentable for sale...no small feat given 4 children who liked to undo all the cleaning almost as soon as it was done. The day came when we have the photo's done and put on the net and the house went on the market on a Sunday night, on Monday morning we had an agent ringing asking if they could bring someone through that afternoon, sure no prob thinking I could whisk the kids down to the park for a bit while the agent was there 45 Min's later another phone call from another agent saying they also had a client wanting to look at the house, ok so I am thinking maybe I will take the kids to Macca's. It now appeared I was going to be out of the house all afternoon, I was also wondering how I was going to deal with having to take the kids out in the cold all the time when people wanted to look through and even more worrying was how was I going to attempt to keep the house clean with the kids at home. That afternoon when hubby came to pick us up from Macca's we had a phone call from one of the agents saying that the person they had taken to see the house wanted to buy it!!!!! We were totally flabbergasted to say the least we went down to the agent saw the offer that was submitted and decided it was to good to pass up and we signed contracts that night! Yes we sold our home in 24 HOURS!! So that solved the issue of how was I going to maintain the spotlessness with 4 children.

We needed to find a new home a lot faster then we thought, opting for a 90 day settlement gave us a bit more time to search for our new home, which we found 2 weeks later. Our dream house as I call it is amazing: 5 bedrooms big big big lounge room/family room/kids play area lots of bench space in the kitchen plus a "good" room which is really a parents only lounge room YAY!! but the best thing is a beautiful big backyard with an undercover area for the kids to play in summer or winter, there is room for our trampoline, basketball hoop and some play equipment. We have indulged in some new furniture to help fill some of the space in the new house including new chaise lounge suite, complete new bedroom suite for Malinda and also new dresser and beside tables for us and a bookshelf for the lounge room. I feel so at ease here and the family all adjusted to the move really easily including the 2 babies who settled in with no fuss at all.

Although this move has been a blessing all the paper work, time spent waiting on approval for this or that and dealing with conveyances who are rude and don't return phone calls had made me realise I don't want to move again anytime soon, which is a good thing because we all love our new home so much I cant imagine moving out of here for a loooonng time yet! I have so enjoyed the past two days with the little bit on sunshine we have had here in cold cold Melbourne as I have been able to spend time with the 2 littlest Tredinnicks outside playing in our new backyard whilst the older 2 Tredinnick children have been at school. I can't wait for summer to hit so we can enjoy BBQ's,entertaining and most of all enjoy hearing the sound of children laughing as they play together outside in the sunshine.

Olivia turns one!

2010-04-12T23:34:00.003+10:00

Okay so I have been totally run off my feet with school holidays and 4 children so have had no chance to blog about recent events including Livvy's 1st birthday party, Easter and school holiday madness and since Meegs has been sooking about my lack of blogging I thought I would try to do a couple of posts over the next day or so.

I will start with Olivia's birthday and her party.

We had an amazing day despite my stress a couple days before that no one would show up for her party. We were blessed by Kintara and Adam who gave us pretty much all our party's supply of plates, cups, napkins and bowls thanks again guys it was a huge help. The plates were in the shape of Ladybugs and the cups and smaller plates had pictures of ladybugs on them they were awesome and of course if you haven't picked up on the theme we had a ladybug party as this is one of Livvy's nicknames. Red and black balloons floated around the house as we organised the backyard and lounge rooms ready for the party.

I had made Olivia a red tutu and sewn on black spots. I also made her a headband with antena on them to

complete her outfit... it turned out great if I do say so myself hee hee. Some of the party guests also dressed up as ladybugs or other types of bugs or beetles. There was Drew who looked awesome in his bumble bee costume (and is now forever nicknamed Mr

Drew-bee), Peter was a silvery dragonfly, as well as that there were some other ladybugs, butterflies and a very cute centepede. The effort everyone went to was awesome and all the kids looked great.

We had our very special friend Lanii come and take some beautiful photos on her big expensive camera which was very generous of her and the photos look great - thank you Lanii for do that for us oxox.

My mum made the birthday cake...which was a point of many conversations/arguments of differing artistc opinions but in the end we settled on a design and she did an absolutely fantastic job, the cake made me cry and I could not bring myself to cut the ladybug part as I thought it to pretty. A fantastic result Thanks mum.

Livvy-bug received some very beautiful presents for her birthday from all her guests but one that is very very special was handmade by her Godmother Megan for her. It is a beautiful blanket with brightly coloured patch work squares. Livvy managed to christen it in the first week of having it by doing a poop on it...it had since been washed and she cuddles up with it at night. A gorgeous present from a gorgeous lady.

The party went off without a hitch lots of food and fun, pass the parcel and pin the tale on the donkey, free play and music. We all had an awesome day and want to say a massive thank you to all who came and celebrated Olivia's special day with us....I still cannot believe my baby is one time sure moves on.

Happy 1st Birthday Ladybug

2010-03-24T18:22:00.001+11:00

It is almost Olivia the Ladybug's 1st birthday so I thought I would share part of her birth/life story thus far..yes she is only one so it shall be a short story but none the less an important one.

Livvy was an unexpected gift to our family,for a while during my pregnancy I would say she was an accident or she was unplanned...but towards the end of my pregnancy I began to see that she was indeed no accident and she was very much planned out by God to enrich our family and grow our hearts. She was a very unexpected gift however and when I found out I was pregnant I went into complete shock and denial.

Yes to say I did not handle it well would be a massive understatment, I was recovering from having my appendix out and had a 4 month old baby, so another pregnancy was the last thing on my mind. However afetr feeling unwell for a few days and realising I was somewhat "late" I decided to take a home pregnancy test..I didn't tell my hubby because I was sure it was going to be negative and the tiredness and constant nausea I was experiencing was simply a stomach bug. However once I peed on the stick and those two lines of a positive test appeared I almost passed out,.then convinced myself it was a false positive...marching out to my husband I announced "well this says I am pregnant" thrusting the test at him. "Wow" was all he said, "I think its a false positive though there is no way I could be pregnant we have a 4 month old baby". Off to the shops to get another test ( a 2 pack this time) more drinking more pee and yet another positive test!!! "No way" I exclaimmed "not possible". I went into complete denial mode I was a mess refusing to accept that I was indeed pregnant, even after 12 weeks of morning sickness no period and another positive pregnancy test.

Hubby decided he had had enough of my denial and took me to the doctors, after a check over he pulled out his trusty ultra sound machine squirted goo on my tummy and proceeded to show me my little growing ladybug there in my belly, I turn and look at him with the dumbest expression and say "oh so I really am pregnant"... the doctor looked back at me like I was a total dickhead " ummm yes Leesa your very pregnant at least 4 months along" I am sure he must of been thinking I was a total nutbag after all this was my 4th child I should know what pregnancy feels like lol but I had really concinced myself it was a phantom pregnancy and that my uterus would be empty completly devoid of any life...however Miss Olivia had other plans and I was angry how dare this person invade my body I hadn't given her permission to do so.

To say the next 9 months were tough would be a massive understatement..I batteled.. oh did I battle everyone and everything, I hated being pregnant, hated my body, hated God, my husband and as tough as it is to say this now, I hated my unborn baby. Terrible motion sickness and cronic heartburn and high blood preasure did nothing to enhance my liking for this baby. The only thing gicing me some happiness was knowing that she was a girl (afer 2 boys I was so over blue) so shopping was a happy thing once again as my space got invaded with lots and lots of pink. Physically I continued to feel crappy and to make it worse she was now overdue, and I was very very over it. David had arranged to have 2 weeks off work his holidays were booked in and he was due to finish up work on the Friday....it would be another 8 days before I could be induced thus in a way he would be "wasting" his paternaty leave because there would be no baby for a week of it, I was convinced bub's would not come on her own I have been induced with all 3 previous pregnancys and expected the same for the 4th.

The night of the 26th I sat on the bottom of the shower floor and sobbed, I sobbed my guts out like I never have before. Handing all my anxiety over to God in prayer I asked for his help...finally...probably should of done that about 8 months prior... but there I was a sobbing mess. I asked for Gods help I felt terrified I was never going to love my child, that she would know I had shown very little interest in her health or growth throughout the pregnancy and she would somehow know this and resent me. I wanted my baby I wanted to love her I just wasn't sure I would, that it would not happen as naturally as it was ment to. I sobbed some more crying a river of tears that had been stored up from the moment I peed on tht first pregnancy test at home. I told God of my need to have this baby soon that I could not wait for another8 days to go by before I could be induced that she needed to come out now,so David could be home with us the entire 2 weeks. I sobbed. until I was so exhusted all I could do was dry off from my shower and fall into bed I felt waves of relief wash over me, knowing that the baby and I were now in Gods hands I could sleep, I slept the sleep of the totally exhusted, but not for very long.

Around 2am I awoke with a sharp pain through my back, oh great I think more fake labor they continued in and off for a while, "bugger this" I said to myself I got up out of bed went into the lounge room leaving hubby to sleep on. I watched t.v, folded laundry and tidied the kitchen as I breathed through some very minor contrations which were around 5 to 7 minutes apart. Because I had never "gone into labor" on my own before I wasn't even sure if this was the real thing, again I prayed "God if this is really labor give me a sign",...nothing spectacular happened, I went to the loo and there it was " a show" woo hoo I thought I am in labor and I did it all on my own. It was now 4am the pain wasn't bad but I thought I had better wake hubby I told him his daughter was on her way he was up and dressed in a flash...calm down hun she aint here yet I am going to have a shower I announce...David was worried and got me to call the hospital to explain where thing were at, "this is your 4th baby" the midwife says "hhmmm you better come in and let us check you over", darn it I really wanted the shower. So by the time we got a baby sitter and got to the hospital it was just after 5am, I am wisked up to the ward as my contractions start to get a little pinchy I am checked over and it is announced I am 7 and a half cm dialted GO ME!!! I beg for a shower and the lovely midwife obliges. I labor on in there

for another hour when the midwife does a check on me I beg her "please break my waters once you do the baby will come straight out I know it". She gets a dotor who examines me and agrees it is safe for my waters to be broken.. (just as well as I had even offered the midwife a bribe of money to do it if the doctor says no..nope not kidding!!) I feel sweet relief as my waters break and I know I am on the home stretch. I stand up the midwife says I can deliever the baby this way if thats what I want...it is, I am told to make sure I let them know when bubs is coming cause someone will need to catch her if I am in a standing position. No

problems I am woman, mother and birthing queen at this point I can do anything, with hubby standing in front of me my holding onto his sholders I feel the burning knowing my little princess is on her way out I say she is coming I push and bend down at the same time as her head emerges I reach down and deliever my own baby into my hands she comes wrinkly screamming beautiful life. I bring her up to my chest kissing her as I do so. David cuts the cord and I am ushered onto the bed where I can gaze apon the mirlce in my arms. Olivia Joy Valerie I say as David and I stare in amazement at each other and at our baby who is nuzzling round for a boob to attach to, 15 minutes after she is born she has latched onto my breast and remains there for the next little while. Photo's are taken phone calls and text messages sent announcing the arrival of our princess,we call home to check on our other children who are all excited about meeting thier sister later on that day.

Olivia's birth was one of the most empowering things I have ever done, and although I had given birth to 3 other children her birthing experience remains the most powerful and wonderful one of all. This first year of our little ladybugs life seems to have passed extreamly quickly a fact that doesnot impress me at all. I am wanting to savor every moment with her, the kisses and cuddles the closesness of brestfeeding the joy she brings to my life..to our whole family really. Olivia's name means peace, Joy, means happiness or joy and Valerie means strength, Olivia certainly fits her name, she has bought all these things into my heart and liffe and lives of those around her.

Thes past 12 months have come with ups and downs including a short hospital stay for Livvy who has a slightly enlarged heart, but is doing fine with it, lots of sleep issues but also lots of love,her dedication at church, funny moments and loads and loads of fun. I would not of survived this past year without the love and support of a very special person in mine and Olivia's life, her Godmother Megan, who has been an almost constant sorce of love and compassion, Olivia gets very excited and squeals if I say to her where is Aunty Meegs she knows Megan loves her and is always happy to dive into her arms for cuddles. Thank you Megan for taking such an important role in Livvy-bugs life.

As Ladybugs birthday draws closer I am reflective of the past and how much of a struggle it was to except she was on the way to join our family, our family seems to be complete now that Livvy is a part of it. I am so thankful and greatful for my happy healthy princess. I cannot imagine life without her except that it would be very incomplete.

Happy First Birthday my darling I hope you feel spoilt, special and above all very very loved and wanted on your special day. All my love to you sweet baby girl!!

I am a sausage sizzle day helper.

2010-03-18T13:36:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was sausage sizzle day at Peter's school and I had put my hand up to be a canteen helper for that morning. I was really nervous about this...why you might ask? Well my past experience with helping out at Mini's school fundraisers were not very fun. The mothers can be very clicky with one and other and given I didn't know anyone well I was left out not even spoken to by the other mums. So I was hesitant to put my hand up but I really want to be involved with school activitys where posible so I decided to give it another shot. I am so so glad I did!!

I had a great morning, there were about 8 or so other mum's and the canteen manager we all pitched in together and managed to get over 700 students thier orders of sausage sizzle, chips and a soft drink ready. My jobs were napkin folder lol I folded 800 napkins in about 15 mins I am so hard core, lol, also I squished cardboard boxes that the drinks where in, I counted out slices of bread and helped divide them up among the lunch order baskets for each grade BOO YEAH!!!

Once all the baskets were packed it was delievery time I ofcourse swipped Peter's room basket promptly intent on dropping his basket off and being able to spy on him and maybe blow him a kiss (as he is a prep I can still get away with this I imagine by about grade 2 it wont be cool to have your mum blowing you kisses) however my grand plans were shot down by his Teacher Mrs H who opened the classroom door enough for her to reach out and take the basket from my arms thanking me she began to close the door.. but wait my internal mummy voice was screamming I didn't get to blow my kisses....oohhh I was so cross but I did peek through the window and saw my little man hard at work over his book. I am guessing she didn't want me interupting the classroom flow but gee I really wanted to be able to see my boy and after all it's all about me ...yeah right.

I continued on with more delieverys and was done about 20 minutes later. I was thanked several times for my contributions to the morning and I have to say I felt very appreciated and feel as thought I have made some new connections at the school, which is great. I was so worried I would not be even spoken to so to have several mum's not only acknowledge that I was there but engage in conversaton with me was wonderful. I will be raising my hand for helper again at the next "special lunch" and whilst I think canteen duty wont become a "love of my life" I did enjoy my experience and meeting new people.

A big thanks to my bestie Sue who watched my two little cherubs at home for me so I could focus on what I was doing at school without fussing with 2 babies, Sue even did my dishes what a legendary chickee babe!!

Mikey Turns 2

2010-03-09T16:25:00.002+11:00

Yesterday was our Little man Mikey's, 2nd birthday. We decided to celebrate with a small

afternoon tea with our family and a couple of close friends..despite our thinking it would be a small event once you add our 4 children, Bestie Meegs 3 boys and our good friends Kat and Andys 2 children your up to 9 children within 3 familys so small goes to big and loud quickly, but also creates lots and lots of fun and laughter.

Mikey had a wonderful morning playing with his new car mat and cars or as he calls it his "road road" after play time and lunch it was a quick nap before his friends and Nanna L arrived with the birthday cakes she had made for Michael.

After he had awoken from his nap and exclaimed with joy over his Makka Pakka cake, his guests started to arrive and the fun began. Michael had a wonderful time playing with Drew and Justin with his new car garage and dancing to his wiggles dvd from Uncle Adam and Aunty Pam.
Like most partys the food was a huge hit with the kids and it wasn't long before all the chips lollys and cupcakes were gone and the sasuage rolls and pies were snatched up quickly...the adults needing to move quick in competition with our little ones appetites.

The adults well.... the male adults got into a discussion about poker and the rules and merits of the game whilst the females chatted about parenting styles schools and tried to resolve the mior disagreement that popped up as 9 children played together.

Soon enough it was time for cake and singing Happy Birthday which Mikey loved he danced along as we sung to him and gave himself a round of applause shouting hooray it was incredibly sweet.

The tireds were setting in amounst the kiddies as it hit 4pm and the afternoon tea slowly wound down. We all had a wonderful time and want to thank everyone for coming and for Mieys gifts. He finished the day with a warm bubble bath and then some "tato gems' (potato gems) for dinner. Thanks to those who helped us celebrate our lil mans day and for your birthday wishes.

Sue's Birthday Dinner

2010-03-08T20:34:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was one of my besties Sue's birthday, we (Meegs and I ) surprised her with a celebration dinner at Stack's,... for those of you who don't know Stacks is the most awesomest pancake place in Melbourne with seriously scrummy foods, it is a fav place of ours so Meegs and I thought it only fitting to have dinner here for Sue's
birthday. Unknown to Sue was that we had invited another good friend of ours along to join our little party and that we had gotten there early with balloons, a birthday banner and a birthday crown to set up a fun party table for her. It was funny watching her reaction as she saw what we had done, Sue pretending to be embarassed was really funny cause she doesn't get shy generally, but watching her hide at the door was hilarious.

We all had a fab night and it was fun to spoil a terriffic chick who totally deserves it cause she is always spoiling someone else. Some of the birthday loot incuded flowers chocolates and a pretty necklace. As usual the food was amazing and Kat and Sue decided to try a cocktail called a Mad hatter, these were very cool looking and yummy (but strong) tasting drinks. The night was filled with lots of chatter, some wine love and lots and lots of laughter. Love you Sue and we hope you had a great night, we sure did.

Now here are some things you need to know about Sue:

Sue talks during movies,.. which I love because I do the same thing and it helps me process what I am watching,...also we just love to talk

She is my eldest son's Godmother, whom he choose for himself and I think it is just awesome to see them together he loves her very much.

She has a very wicked sense of humor and is quick with a quip.

Sue is incredibly generous with her time, helping people out with lifts to the doctors, house cleanning and babysitting whenever she can, all this while working and being a mum to 4 of her own children.

She can order food at the movies using an English accent and not laugh, it's really funny.

Sue is a fun loving, life is for living kind of woman, she is passionate, caring, sensitive (but doesn't cry) loving, generous a wonderful best friend, fantastic mum, woman of God who is someone that I admire respect and love.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUE XOXOXOX

Almost 2 and all about Mikey

2010-02-25T22:22:00.009+11:00

Since Master Mikey is about to turn 2 I decided that this post would be dedicated to him and share some random facts about him as I did when it was master 5 birthday.

Mikey's daddy chose his name when I was about 4 months pregnant and we both fell in love with it. From then on we refered to him as Michael when he was born the name fit him perfectly.

Michael has had 1 hair cut in his entire 2 years, he has the most amazing loong blond curly hair and we intend to keep growing it...and yes I do get told what a pretty little girl I have but we don't mind.

He was by far the easiest and shortest labour and delivery I have had (3 hours from start to finish)

I found out I was pregnant with Mikey whilst at Hillsong ( A christian conference my old church attends in Sydney) We were so excited that by then end of the day about 100 people knew.. all before our families!

Mikey's latest trick is to look very cute and hum when he is in trouble, I am not sure what made him start doing this but it is very funny and as soon as I say his name if I am correcting him or if he goes into our office which he knows he isn't allowed in he will hum when he sees me and looks very innocent, it is very hard to be cross when he does this, and I think he has worked this out.

Michael is VERY affectionate and protective of his little sister, we were all worried he would be very jealous of her given there is only 12 months between them but he loves her to bits and pats her like a dog saying "my bubba"

He loves the night garden...I do not,

Mikey has pooped more times in the bath then the 3 other children put together...seriously he does it like once a fortnight and it is really gross and then he cries "yuck yuck" well don't poop in the bath then!!!!

Mikey loves to draw and we need to be very careful about leaving anything he can draw with lying about as he will draw on the walls, t.v or carpet, currently our lounge room wall has black texta all over it mixed with red pencil and some eyeliner pencil,..nice job buddy.

He is very much an out doors boy and will spend hours playing outside with his toy car, or in the cubby house both of which are very much loves of his life. He also enjoys the parks nearby and as we walk or drive past one he will shout out "go play go play" it is adorable.

Michael gave us a huge scare when he was a couple weeks old, he was diagnosed with have low muscle tone,it took a long time for him to be strong enough to gain weight and strengthen up but as of his 12 month check in with his paediatrician he has developed normal muscle tone and is a strong healthy boy.

Michael has the sweetest most easy going personality out of all 4 of our children, he would be the most relaxed. He is incredibly loved by his family and extended family friends. Mikey has a great giggle, gives wonderful hugs and is a huge blessing to our family.

Little man as you head toward your 2nd birthday know that you are loved, your family adore you for the wonderful unique and special little boy you are. I thank God for your presence in my life,darling son you are loved.

Lovely Bugs is born.

2010-02-15T14:59:00.013+11:00

Ever since I got my sewing machine a couple years ago friends and strangers have commented to me about things I make especially the toys and blankets I have made for the babies, I often get told you should start a business or you should sell those,...so after much encouragement from my husband and friends "LOVELY BUGS" handmade toys and goods has been born. This is the name I have chosen to use for my goodies as you all know I love ladybugs things. I have been thinking of diving in and doing this for a while but wanted to have some stock ready to go.
Now this may totally turn out to be a wasted venture and completely suck but I figure you never know till you try and I love being creative and making things so this will give me the opportunity to do so, and if it fails well you'll all be getting hand made gifts for your birthdays and your children's birthdays. My motivation for doing this is not money, anyone who knows me well will already know this. I simply love to sew and create things and this is giving me motivation and a positive and productive outlet to do so.

My kids and I are totally hooked on taggies..(blankets, balls and toys with ribbons on them) and I have made a variety of these in different colours and sizes. I also make children's tutu's, crinkle toys (toys that make that lovely scrunchy noise baby's love so much) and very cute head bands. Library bags and toiletry bags, loofa's and wheat (heat) bags in different sizes and colours for males and females. I am currently working on a facebook page for Lovely bugs should be up and running tomorrow at some point the page will have more photo's and information. So check it out if you wanna.

Megan says: Oh you're just a SAHM? I don't think so!

2010-02-12T09:29:00.006+11:00

Most of you have seen the name Meegs or Megan on my blog she is my best buddy and a love of my life, yesterday she wrote and posted a very inspiring piece of writing on FB given Meegs doesn't blog (yet) I decided to high jack her writing and post it here. It is really an awesome piece and I felt it must be shared with others. It expresses Meegs thoughts and views on being a stay at home mum, a role that is incredibly important, so here it is enjoy and be inspired!!

Oh you're just a SAHM? I don't think so!

Recently i have felt that my "status" in society has been questioned. I know I know, here goes another stay at home mum having a rant about how people think less of her! But seriously SAHM does not stand for Stay at home Moron!
Why do some people think that because i choose to stay at home, and am very blessed to be in the situation that its a choice, that my brain has gone AWOL and I have no idea what is happening in the "real" world?
Why do they think that I can't hold a decent conversation without reverting to baby talk?
Why can I not have a valid opinion on a topic?
Why do they think that my life revolves only around my children and cooking and cleaning.

Yes, my children are my focus literally 24 hrs a day. But working mum's focus on their children 24 hrs a day too. Usually they are working to provide for their children. I am not saying that I am any better or worse than working mums. I myself have been a working mum and its bloody hard!

But just because I stay at home I still think and choose and try to better myself and broaden my horizons so to speak!

And here's a statement that is very hard to admit too sometimes. I like being a SAHM! Shock horror, i said it! Not because I'm lazy, definitely not, but because I like being able to take my kids to school, pick them up, help with homework, do reading at school and be with my toddler all day.
I have the choice to do that and i relish that!

Here's something else that's a bit shocking to some, i breastfeed my toddler! How very hippy of me! And I enjoy it, its our special time together 1st thing in the morning and just before bed. Just him and I, relaxing together, one on one. If you think there is no benefit to it for him or me so be it. I don't really care! If you don't agree, okay, your choice. if you don't like me for it, that's okay too! I'll just grow my own people, cos i can do that! LOL

I like my husband being the head of my home! I don't want that responsibility thank you very much! We discuss everything together and make our decisions together but if there was to be a title as such, he can have it!

However my kids aren't the only thing I have in my life. I have family that I love dearly and like to spend time with. I have AMAZING friends in my life, some with kids, some without, some married, some single, some old, some young. I am friends with people who work , stay at home, have religious beliefs, are atheists, are gay and straight. I don't care what you do or don't do, I don't judge you, that's not my place, if i like you its for you!

My integrity has been questioned recently too. Through this trying time I have realised a few things that have been a long time coming.
I AM a decent person
I AM forgiving
I AM a good friend/ daughter/ granddaughter/
I am strong enough to stand up for what i believe in! WOOHOO!
I can admit when i was wrong and am willing to listen to others opinions on matters that are important to them or me.
I am not faultless and I am not intending to sound that way. I am after all only human! But I am willing to admit my mistakes.

Anyway, that is my vent for today!
If you have read this, thank you for taking the time to do so!

Peter's first day at "big school" 2010

2010-02-07T17:35:00.001+11:00

Peter had his first day of big school last week. He started on Thursday and unfortunately it was not a great start. He began the morning very excited all happy smiles ready to go to preps and meet some new friends and see his teacher Miss H again. Daddy drove Mummy Peter and the two bubba's up to the school dropping us of at the front car park with 10 minutes till bell time having previously been told that the prep grades would be starting at 9am along with the rest of the grades. As it turned out there was some miss-communication between staff and admin and school for preps didn't actually start till 9:30am, this messed with us a bit because mummy had the babies to contend with as well as an emotional 5 year old for the next half an hour.
We passed the time with a wonder rounds the playground and a couple of rice crackers I had stashed in the pram (thank god!!) Finally the big moment arrived ,the classroom door opened and out stepped a complete stranger!!!! Peter looked at me and I back at him as we listened to an announcement saying Miss H was not well and unable to be at school today...as you can imagine this did not go down well with the parents or students and Peter built up his tantrum from a level 5 to a full blown level 10!!!! Once I got him inside the classroom and we had his bag and hat on its hook I got him seated on the mat with the other children and with the help of the teachers aid I managed to de-tangle myself from him and leave him crying, yes I felt like a crappy mother but I also knew that within 2 minutes of my leaving he would of stopped and settled a lot better then if I had stayed there..(which is exactly what happened) As I walked the short distance home I asked God to watch over my boy and to help me be calm. It began to rain just as we reached the house and continued to do so for most of the day. I felt very sad for the preppies who had been looking forward to starting school with their teacher ready for a big adventure and the teacher was away and now it was raining spoiling any chance of outside play for them. When I picked my very tired boy up at the end of the day he was excited to tell me about what he had done and handed me his newsletters like a very grown up boy *sigh* gone was my baby and replaced was a big boy who had bravely taken his first steps towards the very long years of schooling ahead. I was very proud of him.
This afternoon as we prepare for the school week ahead packing lunch boxes and ironing uniforms I am really hoping and praying for a much better start to the school week for Peter and all the other preps in his grade. Thankfully Miss H will be back on Monday and I know Peter is very excited to see her again. Thanks to all on Facebook for your good wishes for Peter he really like being read out your messages.

Having it all..so over rated!!

2010-01-31T22:00:00.000+11:00

After having an in depth conversation with my bestie Meegs about our roles as wives and woman I came to the conclusion that as a woman I really don't want to "have it all." Now I realise this particular blog entry may get the feminists up in arms and that's okay discussion is healthy as long as it stays friendly :-) My personal opinion is that this modern version of aggressive womanhood has not really done a whole lot help the advancement of woman, we still have to work harder then a man to achieve the same kind of status or perks in the work place.. because as woman we are still seen as the weaker sex and need to prove ourselves worthy of the same position as a male the burning of bra's certainly didn't change that all it did was make our boobs hang low. Now I am not by any means an expert on any sort of feminism culture or history so please don't start slinging mud at me or my blog this is just my opinion, thoughts and feeling you don't have to agree. But I kinda feel like some aspects of the feminist movement have made things a little harder on woman, the demands of a stay at home mother are incredibly tough in this role mothers are: teachers, care givers, comforters, cooks, cleaners, gardeners, entertainment providers, makers of craft activities etc etc we shape and mold the life and minds of our children..who are adults in the making this is a huge responsibility, and in my opinion one that is not given enough validation or recognition. However this is seen by many as not enough and that a career outside the home is also required to make our role as woman complete. So we strive so hard to have it all.

Having it all is an expression I have heard used a lot in lots of different contexts. As woman we seem to think we can "have it all" the career, the kids, run a home as well as social commitments. Well I don't want to have it all at least not the worldly view or ideals of what having it all entails. I watch my Darling husband struggle to spread his time equally with a demanding job, 4 children, a wife, social commitments and church obligations and it is not easy. Not all commitments are able to be honored and someone or something often misses out. I want to be the type of mother who makes promises to her children and keeps them not having to change their schedule around as other things arise which seem to take importance over their needs. No career path, job offer or social commitment will ever come before the needs of my children and husband. I want to be the type of friend who doesn't cancel on her buddies because of "work" and I want to be the type of Christian who can come before God with an open heart and a clear mind not all weighed down with more responsibility and "stuff" in my life that I don't need to complete me as a woman.

Sure as a working mum we can out source the house work and ironing have a cleaning person come do the house chores and hire a nanny or stick the children in childcare if we choose to go to work but then that's cheating in my books we really aren't having it all, we are paying people to have it for us. I don't believe children who are in childcare full time receive the love, attention or benefits that children who are at home with their parent/s do, and if the government got off their arses and realised how much work actually goes into raising children and made some sort of financial contribution to household incomes then perhaps more mums who want to stay home but are not able to due to loss of income could do so. When I had my eldest child there was no option for me I was a single mum and had to work to support my child so she was put into childcare full time and I worked spending little time with her in the mornings as we prepared for the work day and evenings we were both tired and it was dinner, bath and bed. Malinda turned out to have a hearing problem and developmental delays but these went unnoticed by a busy and tired working mum and childcare centre staff not equipped at detecting such things.

Call me old fashioned or even stupid but I still want my husband to open the door for me, to defend me in a fight, help me kill spiders when they come any where near me, and treat me like a princess. That's not to say I don't have opinions on things and I am certainly not backwards in coming forwards to express those ( as you can see) but I also have no problem submitting to the authority God has placed on my husbands shoulders as a man, leader and head of our house, NO I am NOT a doormat but a supportive partner. David and I partner in our married life parenting our tribe as a team, however the running of the house is my responsibility just as the role of financial provider for our family is David's. While I want and need my husbands support in my various undertakings I don't want him to be a doormat either, support is one thing but I want my man to be a man. I am not interested in having a partner who has no back bone and no opinions of his own. Belittling, swearing at or gossiping salaciously about our men doesn't make us stronger woman, I think it makes you weaker, is disrespectful and low class. Working things out as a team however and maintaining a healthy respect for each others contributions to the marriage/relationship and loving our similarities and differences I feel is a more reasonable approach to married life.

I am happy and content spending my days breastfeeding my daughter, singing songs and doing craft with my children, giving the house a tidy through (some days better then others) and making yummy meals for us as a family at the end of the day.These are the things that fulfill me as a woman and are my version of having it all. Yes I like some quiet me time and sometimes the hours till bedtime get counted down from about 10am but it is certainly not the end of the world if I don't always get that time on my own or if the kids refuse to go to bed when I think they should... however it would be the end of the world if I had to miss out on watching the loves of my life grow and develop into awesome young people and then adults for the sake of a career that someone else thought I should have.

School holiday fun...who needs money!!

2010-01-31T13:22:00.017+11:00

So school holidays have officially ended with term 1 starting up tomorrow. Usually I am very happy to see the end of the holidays with 6 weeks on my own with 4 children it is usually a difficult time in trying to keep them all entertained and happy. In the past I have dragged them round all over then place in an attempt to keep the masses happy... children's shows, the movies, shopping trips, special lunches and dvd hiring, not much time had been spent really playing at home or at a park as this is seen as boring. But this year with the expense of Christmas for 4 children plus 3 family birthdays in January and the returning of school for one child and the starting of school for another our cash resources have been a little light and so trips out and about have not happened much these school holidays.
Now here's the kicker...the children actually didn't mind it!!! I am left pondering if my shelling out loads of cash in the past to keep them tribe happy on holidays was a big waste of money hhmmmm.

This year we have had some great family fun just hanging out at home. Spending very minimal amounts of money yet the children have had a blast. One afternoon was spent blowing soap bubbles which was awesome. It was amazing to hear the shrieks and giggles as the 2 older children blew bubbles and Mikey (almost 2) ran around trying to catch them ( also eat them and pop them) I was very surprised at how long they actually spent doing this as in the past outside activity's usually lose their appeal within 5 minutes, but this went on for nearly 2 hours.

We have had several visits to Ballam park and also to our local parks, we are very fortunate as where we live there are 3 different parks all with about 5 to 7 minutes walk from our house. On one of our Ballam park trips we met up with Megan and her 3 boys for a play and some morning tea. It was an awesome morning not to hot and as usual the children all got on beautifully. After the park my 4 cherubs and I walked up to Karingal Hub and we were treated to a free Ninja Turtles concert/show which was a huge hit with the 2 boys but not so popular with Malinda who is 10 and so NOT into Ninja Turtles.

We have also been a bit more social in our hosting skills and have had several friends around for morning tea and of course playing!! One morning was spent with Jo and her 3 little ladies Molly, Lucy and Ruby. Peter and Molly are betrothed and very in love so they always relish time spent together. This visit started out as a morning tea catch up be we ended up eating hot chippies in the park and having an awesome time on the swings and sea saws near our place it was a wonderful day.

We have spent time with my gorgeous Goddaughter Iris who I got to babysit one day...this is a rare treat as Miss Iris is usually very attached to her mummy so I felt honoured that she was so excited about coming to have a play for the day at my house. She enjoyed spending time with my children, lunch, trying out Mikey's cot and also a bubble bath at the end of the day, I really loved having her for the day.
So apart from park trips the kids have enjoyed using up a bucket of chalk on the driveway..now this can get a little aggro as Mikey loves to scribble and draw anywhere...including over the "awesome designs" of the 5 and 10 year old so directing him away from their art work and into a space for his own was a bit tricky and in the end the older 2 children realised it n unreachable goal to shoo him away and allowed their work to be enhanced by Mikey's creativity. Again this was a very cheap activity and one that the kiddies did every couple of days with great joy and enthusiasm.... our driveway remains covered in chalked up hopscotches and the beautiful creations my cherubs came up with. (Just a tid bit...watching my very uncoordinated 5 year old try and hopscotch was a highlight of my day..it was hilarious but I kept the giggles in, in an attempt to continue to encourage him to be active and not glued to the t.v) As you can see the children got on really well together had lots of fun playing/drawing with the chalk. It really warmed my heart to watch them all play together at home and actually enjoy and want to spend time together...for those of you who have kids we all know that some times this isn't the case especially with Malinda who likes lots of personal space..and Peter likes to right up in that space can often be a source of friction.

We also celebrated Peter's 5th birthday whilst on school holidays and he enjoyed a visit from his buddy Seth and my bestie Meegs, Nanny L dropped in and we had cake when Hubby got home from work. Again we were fairly low key with this some time at home and a homemade chocolate cake. Malinda and Peter spent the morning drawing together and having birthday cuddles it was awesome and very touching to again see them getting on so well. Malinda and Peter also enjoyed having sleep overs at Uncle Adam and Aunty Pam's place (my big brother and his wife) spending time with their cousins and also had their cousins sleep over at our house. Which makes for crowded, loud delicious fun!! Over all I would have to say this has been the best school holidays yet and whilst I am very excited for my 2 eldest cherubs to be starting school this week I will miss them loads.

My 31st and best birthday ever!!!

2010-01-24T17:18:00.019+11:00

I have to say that this has probably been one of if not the most memorable birthday I have had in ages. A huge part of the thanks goes to my best friends Megan and Sue who kicked off my birthday celebrations a couple days before the actual day with a surprise ambush to the beauty salon where I was treated to a massage, facial, manicure and pedicure,...it was awesome!!!

Saturday night I decided to have a few friends around for some Chinese food and of course a selection of vampire movies to watch. We decided to dress up for the occasion given that we are all vampire addicts some dressed in goth and others got right into the mood complete with fake blood and fangs!!

The best dressed on the night had to be Sue who put on a black wig covered herself in bite marks and blood and came as a fang banger from the True Blood book and t.v series, she looked freaking awesome!! 2nd place went to Kat who looked absolutely sensational in her Goth get up, Kat you are so gorgeous girl!

It was a fantastic night complete with "blood" drinking...which was really vodka and raspberry..but in the spirit of fun and make believe....

We all enjoyed a fantastic Chinese meal (which hubby shouted for us) and I had also made some red and chocolate cupcakes for after the meal which were super yummy if I do say so myself.

All in all I would have to say I had a fantastic night I got some fabulous presents including The lovely bones book and lots of Lindt chocolate which is my favorite. The girls insisted on singing happy birthday to me (how embarrassing) and then it was Twilight time. Followed by an episode of True blood for the 2 remaining die hard vampire fans hehehe.

Since we were still partying at Midnight and the clocked had ticked over to my official birthday Hubby thought I could have one of my birthday presents which was the first season of The Big Bang Theory on DVD SO COOL!!!

The night was heaps and heaps of fun, filled with lots of laughter, friendship, chocolate and vampires.I could not of asked for a better birthday present then being able to spend time with my good friends stuffing our faces and watching vampire movies. Thanks heaps to Megan, Sue, Sarah, Kat and Sascha, you all helped to make my 31st birthday special and loads of fun I will never forget it. Also a big thanks to hubby who footed the bill for the evening and helped with the preparation and clean up, I love you.

Sunday morning I was treated to brunch at Vada cafe with David and the kids some more pressies from the family and a visit to my mum's who had baked a sensationally yummy cake for me... a work of art really and I am so bummed I didn't have my camera but it was a huge choc banana cake covered in fresh cream chopped banana's and crushed flake bad for the diet YES but oh so yummy!!! Thanks mum. I have completed the day with some wondering through the shops and some family time at home. Thank you again to everyone for your birthday messages,calls and sms and for helping to make this the best birthday ever, I feel loved, blessed and very spoilt.

My birthday surprise from my besties

2010-01-24T00:32:00.012+11:00

My awesome besties have been conspiring behind my back!!! But in a good way. Early on in the week I was told by Megan that I would be expecting a surprise on Friday. I was a bit nervous as I don't usually like surprises... I am to much of a control freak and need to know what is going on hee hee, but I did my best not to hound my 2 besties as to what was going on..my husband was also "in" on the plan so I did try to get some information out of him but it didn't happen either.

On Friday afternoon Megan showed up at my house with a cooked dinner for that night as I would be to busy to cook tea for my family.I was then loaded into the car and driven to Langwarrin shops where there is a beauty shop. Megan then revealed to me that she and Sue had booked me in for an afternoon of total self indulgence, complete with a massage, facial, manicure and pedicure. Sue and Megan both watched my 4 cherubs while I was at the beauty salon. This was such an awesome start to my birthday it was such a treat to be able to have some me time without the children to relax and unwind. The massage and facial were amazing, and a first for me as I had never had them done professionally before. I was told by the masseur "gee your tense" well duh I thought!! I have 4 children and it's school olidays ofcourse I am tense!

After the massage and facial I was treated to my first ever manicure and pedicure... now to be honest I wasn't sure I was going to like a stranger touching my feet but it was SO relaxing. I got my fingers and toe nails painted as well sparkly pink, they look very cute!!! The lady who took care of me for the afternoon was lovely, so friendly and very good at her job. I came away from my first beauty salon experience very relaxed and re-freshed it was the best gift and such a surprise.

Thank you so much to my best buddys Sue and Meegs for a wonderful wonderful birthday surprise. I felt very special and loved. You 2 are the best friends a girl could ever have. Oh and I am very sorry that both the baby's pooed while you were babysitting!!
Feeling great in this pic after the beauty treatment was over!!

Peter's 5th Birthday

2010-01-21T17:04:00.010+11:00

Yesterday was Peter's 5th birthday...this was a huge achievement because there were a few moments the past 12 months that have had his father and I questioning weather he would actually make this next birthday. LOL. He had a great day despite a small setback in the afternoon. I was awoken at about 6:30am by a little hand shaking me saying "its me the birthday boy mum"sooo cute! Daddy had been up earlier with Peter and given him one of his birthday presents to try stem off the impatience as he waited for the rest of the family to wake so we could enjoy his present opening together. Once Olivia had been boobed we (minus daddy who went to work early) sat together and oohhed and ahhed as Peter opened his presents. Since he is starting school this year a few of his gifts were based around that including a Ben 10 lunch box from Daddy and Mummy and some very cool handcuffs he also received a hot wheels car from his sister, a Bakugan ( Japanese animated series he is obsessed with) t-shirt some colouring in pictures of batman and a Harry Potter study set. Nana Margaret and Grandpa Norm had been very organised and sent presents for Peter to open on his birthday before they had left for their trip so he also got some books and a money box which adds up the total as you put money into it. After a phone call from Nana M and then Nanny L we headed off for a walk and a promised birthday milkshake for morning tea. When we got home we tided up and decorated a cake for a BBQ we were planning in the afternoon with some friends from church and Nanny L. Uncle Adam gave a phone call which Peter was very happy about and is looking forward to celebrating his birthday with his cousins on Saturday at Uncle Adam and Aunty Pam's house. Unfortunately the big BBQ turned into a much smaller gathering as one of the children was not feeling well which prevented the whole Beer family from attending however Meegs was good enough to bring Master Seth around (Peter's good buddy and Olivia's betrothed) to wish Peter a happy birthday and enjoy some meat balls and sing happy birthday, which made Peter (and mummy) very happy! Nanny L arrived with a very cool Ben 10 school bag and Ben 10 drink bottle (big hit) as well as some chocolate (bigger hit) we enjoyed the cake and some time together, he thought himself very grown up getting messages on the computer and he loved hearing from you Peter has had an awesome birthday thanks everyone for your messages for him on Facebook xox

Postnatal depression: my journey out of the fog

2010-01-18T19:12:00.015+11:00

Postnatal depression is a very real illness and more then just the baby blues that most Mummy's experience on around day 3/4 post delivery of their bundle. For me (and please note I am not an expert just sharing my personal experience)... post natal depression hit hard and fast when Olivia (bubba number 4) was around 2 weeks old. However this was not my first dance with this disease and I was far better equipped this time round to notice the warning signs and know that things were going down hill for me.

After I had given birth to Peter (bub number 2) I knew I wasn't "right" but ignored the feelings of inadequacy, the constant tears and also the occasional thought of wanting to hurt myself. I ignored this for 12 months putting on a happy face for friends and family replying "yes things are great" "yes of course I am SO happy with my life" etc etc, my amazing husband however was not fooled at all and had been "keeping an eye on me" I became increasingly resentful of his asking me almost daily "Are you okay?" "Of course I am OK" I would reply but was thinking NO I am so NOT okay I am tired and confused and irrational, but I felt I could not tell him or anyone this for fear of judgement. When your in that dark state of mind stupid thoughts take over "I can't admit I need help "they" will take my kids away" etc etc. My persistent husband however would not be dissuaded and eventually got me to admit that I needed help, this occurred after two pretty traumatic events for both of us, We had put the kids to bed one night and I had gone to clean up the kitchen Iam not sure how it happened but the next thing I knew I was sitting on the floor with a kitchen knife in my hand with the very real intention of cutting myself, Hubby found me and talked me back to some sort of normal head space but I still refused to acknowledge I had a problem this was very closely followed by (I think only days later) a massive meltdown in the supermarket (hey if your gonna totally wig out you should do it publicly) when I could not decide what packet of biscuits to buy, every decision had become an overwhelming emotional strain even simple things like Tim tams or mint slice bickys this decision resulted in my having the first of many panic attacks and my husband wrapping his arms around me and stating "I think its time we went to the doctors OK".
I fell in love with him all over again when he said that one word that meant so much WE, Hubby let me know in that simple sentence I was not alone and that he loved me and we would work through this together. I went to see my doctor, spewed out all I had been thinking and feeling in a sobbing messy way and my G.P was amazing he listened and with gentle understanding he announced he thought I had untreated post natal depression, breaking into fresh sobs I readily agreed and we started on a plan for my recovery which included medication, exercising, a mood diary where I would right down an honest number between 1 and 10 of how I was feeling that day and a plan to review in a week. The weekly visits continued then went to monthly etc etc. The medication kicked in and I began to feel much more in control of myself and my feelings.
I would say mid-way through the healing/recovery process I fell pregnant with Mikey and came off the medication very quickly as it was a new medication and not enough was known about it to know if it was safe to use in pregnancy it was a shit of a time going cold turkey but I hung in there and the withdrawal effects wore off. I had a wonderful pregnancy and birth with Mikey but things became tough quickly when he became sick would not breastfeed and lost a lot of weight, he was diagnosed with hypo Tonia which means he had low muscle tone and was very floppy he tired out quickly and was put through a battery of blood and urine tests to determine the cause and treatment of his muscle problems. I know I had PND we were so focused on getting Mikey to gain weight and getting him healthy that I was able to hide it well from almost everyone...our lactation consultant was a very clever lady and I wasn't able to hide much of my emotional "stuff" from her, however our lives were so full of doctor appointments for Mikey that I let it go unchecked even after saying I had seen a doctor, one week our schedule looked like this:Monday paediatrician, Tuesday morning MCHN for weight check Tues afternoon Lactation consultant visit, Wednesday GP for check up ,Thursday blood tests, Friday Mikey admitted to hospital because he had a cold...if he got a cold or sniffles he would get so sick a cold developed into a bad chest infection within 24 hours because he was not strong enough to even cough up the Flem etc etc and so it went. I think its safe to say I had post natal depression during this time but didn't have the time nor did I think I was important enough at the time to do anything about it.

4 months after Michael was born and I was very unexpectedly pregnant again. This is hard to admit but I was devastated how on earth could I look after another baby? I could hardly look after myself and we were dealing with a sickly baby already who was only just starting to fatten up and strengthen up? I was recovering from having my appendix removed and was devastated over having to give up breastfeeding as my milk had completely dried up whilst I was in hospital despite pumping and medication. I was very depressed and spent most of my 4th pregnancy angry at myself, my husband, God and the unborn baby in my belly. Thankfully I had an amazing support team around me who had decided early on that in no way was I going to get away with hiding any emotional issues that arose, my husband accompanied me to every doctor and mid-wife appointment and when I wanted to say nothing about past depression issues he was my voice and would help get me talking. My labor and delivery with Olivia was a beautiful experience...which I guess sounds strange but I feel God truly blessed those moments of her arrival, I delivered her myself standing up which was very empowering and really cemented in my mind that there was nothing this baby and I could not get through.

Despite the awesomeness of her arrival it was only weeks before those damn intrusive thoughts and sleep deprivation crept in...one feeding off of the other. Thoughts of hurting myself came quickly impulses to cut myself, dig at my skin or rip at my hair...(gee I sound like a real nut don't I?) These were impulses that I could not always resist nor could I hide. I thank God that I never had a thought about harming Olivia or one of the other children, I have read and seen many woman who have not been so fortunate and have done things or had thoughts about doing things to their children that will forever change how they look at themselves in the mirror. With the encouragement and support of my husband my mother and my friends Megan and Sarah I booked in to see the doctor (GP) a shrink and got myself on a waiting list to go spend some time with the Hillview mother and baby unit in Rosebud. Doing these things was a huge stepping stone for me but they really changed my life, I could admit I had depression and found that even talking about it wasn't as scary as I thought. I discovered that at the playgroup I attended 2 other mothers there were working through recovery with PND and I would not of known this had I not talked about going to Rosebud and my experiences there..which by the way were just wonderful and very very helpful for myself and our family.

After my week at Rosebud and a change in medication my moods thoughts and actions all came under control. As I continue to work through the recovery/healing process I have been astounded by the support that is out there for mums and I wish that I had had the courage to speak up after I had Peter, things would probably never have gotten so out of control of I had. The stigma seems to have lifted (in my experience anyways) and I was offered a variety if help including home visits from support people in the community, MCHN home visits and even a cleaner came a few times to help me keep on top of the house work with 4 children. It has been such a blessing. Now you all may be wondering why on earth would I choose to blog about this, I guess that as the fog continues to lift from my head I can see that there is nothing to be ashamed of in admitting you need help and no need to keep quiet about it, I think the shameful thing was to keep it to myself allowing myself husband and children to suffer along with me. I also wanted to be able to publicly acknowledge what awesome resources there are out there for woman suffering with depression, and also wanted everyone to know what a fantastic supportive awesomely wonderful husband I have without whom I don't think I would of been able to bounce back as well as I have.

Am I all healed up and better now...nope not fully but I know it is a process and that it will take time I also know that as long as we mothers continue to talk about it and not feel as though we have to put on a fake smile and act as though all is right with the world when we are really falling apart that awareness of PND and depression in woman in general will continue to lose its unfair and unnecessary stigma . I know from my personal experience having woman in my life who have gone through similar situations enabled me to be comfortable in moving forward toward healing and greater understanding of the things that cause PND.

See Panda for more information on PND.

Things I refuse to apologise for :

2010-01-16T23:07:00.005+11:00

I refuse to apologise for breastfeeding in public, My boobs , my baby if you don't like it look away or stare and pull faces but either way deal with it.

Loving my God passionately, for what other response can I possibly have for the creator of the world, the forgiver of my sins and lover of my soul.

I refuse to apologise for wanting time away from my 4 children,I love them all more then anything else but occasionally I need to be away from them so that I can recharge my batteries and come back to them more refreshed and relaxed mummy.

I refuse to apologise for talking when I go to the movies with Sue, it helps our process of what we are seeing and its fun, I paid for my ticket just like you so suck it up.

For wanting my children to succeed in life, in their personal choices and in their career paths I want the best for my children and I refuse to apologise for it.

Eating the last Tim Tam in the packet, if its left there it becomes fair game..regardless of whose it may be.

I refuse to apologise for using/needing anti depressants to help regulate and stabilise my moods, my last 2 pregnancy's and immediate time after child birth were horrendous emotionally for me and I refuse to apologise for needing various types of help including medication to get through it.

For asserting my right to have a say as to who influences my children, whether friend or relative if your not going to contribute positively to my children's lives bugger off you don't get a say.

For asking my brother and sister in law a hundred questions about their growing bubby in the belly and the pregnancy, I am very excited for them and their family and want to be involved and give my support so I will continue to bother you with questions and smother the bump with love, deal with it cause I am not sorry.

I refuse to apologise for protecting my family with the ferociousness of a lioness do not mess with my kids, Hubby or extended family or you will feel my wrath...okay so I am not that tough but I will fight for the well being of my family at all costs.

For having a long shower, I am a busy Mum of 4 kids and don't actually get to shower everyday so when I do I am going to make it count, deal with it hippy cause I am SO not sorry.

I am not going to apologise for having an opinion that might be different to yours, you might be right but I HAVE the right to disagree with you anyway.

Embarrassing my 10 year old by singing as we walk through the shopping centre, as a parent I feel it very important to cause some minimal social discomfort for my kids and singing loudly and at inappropriate times is just plain fun fun fun!!!

Whilst I am sure there are many things I should apologise for I am not going to at this point that's another topic for another blog post, for now I just wanted to say that some of these are on this list for fun but others are very important to me and my refusal to apologise for these things does not come out of petulance or a disdain for those around me but more of an awareness of what is important to me what I am truely passionate about and what I will defend not matter what. My Family My God and my right to choose whats best for me.

Have a great weeknd bloggers.

School of thought....or is that thoughts on schooling

2010-01-16T17:06:00.004+11:00

I spent the morning with Sarah Mc today and our conversation led me to do some deeper thinking...(LOOK OUT) on schooling for the children. Sarah and a group of her friends are planning to home school or unschool, I must confess myself a bit ignorant to this concept previously but after chatting it through with Sars I can see why people would home school and some of the benefits it has as apposed to sending your child to be educated outside the home.

Whilst I have absolutely NO desire to home school I am a big big fan of education in all its forms. At home we spend a lot of time with our children reading books, learning colours, numbers and letters, this is never forced on them though and usually we do it when the kids have expressed an interest in things...for example Mikey who is almost 2 loves books and counting last week he was flipping through his book so I sat down next to him and we counted the leaves, the teddy's and kittens in his book he loved doing this and can count to 10 already..however if he had gotten up and walked away from his book when I sat with him I would not of chased him around the house saying "count Mikey count" lol. It was explained to me that this is child led learning and I guess maybe I must have some inner hippy lying dormant since I have been naturally doing this child led learning stuff with all the children.

Malinda who is 10 attends Naranga which is a school for children who have intellectual disability's and whilst I hate to put a label on her or anyone for that matter the truth of the matter is that she does have some very real learning problems and delays for her age.Even though she expresses an interest in doing/learning certain things the way her brain is wired makes some concepts almost impossible for her to grasp and understand, this can be very frustrating for her and the older she gets the more aware she is that she cannot understand and do everything that other children her age can. At her school she learns reading, writing and maths but she is also taught life skills, cooking and how to use money, her lessons are tailored to her capability's and centred around her needs. I love this about her school because she is taught at a level that she can understand at and can grow and make progress, which is a huge boost to her self confidence and helps in the learning process...she is also in a class of 8 students so she receives lots of one on one attention, something that I also feel is vital for her continued growth.

We are currently in the process of organising Peter for the start of his schooling years, he will attend Langwarrin Park Primary after some debate between parents we settled on this school for him. We feel that Peter will have a great time at school as he is the type of child who constantly needs new challenges and does not take long to master skills. He is very intelligent (his fathers genes) and we feel that sending him to be educated outside of the home in a structured environment will be the best way for him to learn and fulfill his potential.Peter gets bored easily because he masters things quickly (something that frustrates mummy) and when he is bored he can become naughty and sometimes completely intolerable with his demands...but I realise he is not doing this because he is a "bad" kid he simply wants to learn and do new things, sending him to school will (we he parents feel) provide more opportunity's for him to experience different types of learning through a variety of avenues including excursions, incursions, art, music and the use of different technology's.

Now I realise that these avenues can also be done by home schooling but as I said I have no desire to home school my children and believe that it is every parents personal choice as to how they want to educate their children...for me I think that as long as the child is actually being educated and learning then the "HOW" it is being done is really not so important, I would not of said this 12 months ago but now that I have been EDUCATED a little on home schooling/ or unschooling I think that if you have the time passion and determination to do so that it is a great way for you to educate your child. As I previously said I am passionate about education (in whatever shape it takes) and believe it to be a very important part of life.., at 31 years old I still love to learn new things and develop new skills and I enjoy sharing this with and encouraging this in all my children. David and I both try to spend time with each of the children doing things that they love, at the moment this takes the form of drawing, both Malinda and Peter are into drawing so we have hired books from the library that show them how to draw a variety of different things and help them to expand on their skills as mini artists...and a much as having sheets of paper all about the house is driving me nuts at the moment it is awesome for us to watch the kids get so much enjoyment out of doing something the both love. Not only are they learning about drawing but they are also learning shapes, colours and structures ..without even knowing it.

All about Peter Philip Tredinnick...my boy!

2010-01-14T21:08:00.001+11:00

So today was Peters last day at 4 year old kinder *hold in tears Mumma hold in tears*
Wow I cannot believe that in just 6 days my "baby boy" will be turning 5. Time goes way to fast he starts "big school" as he calls it (preps) in a few weeks and then time will really fly. Since today is Peter's last day at kinder and really it begins a new season in his life I thought I would share a few random facts and some fun things about my boy.

Peter was a honeymoon baby... yep married 6 weeks and I was pregnant

He didn't have a name for almost 2 days cause hubby and I could not agree on a first name...Peter was chosen for his second name and in the end we said bugger it lets call him Peter.

Peter was the most ugly baby born ever seriously he looked like an alien when he came out and had big red swollen lips... he settled down after a couple days and continues to be a very handsome little man.

Peter could do sign language before he could talk...and still occasionally uses it now

Peter has already chosen his wife and tells me on a weekly bases that he is going to marry Molly Pierce... they even had a pretend wedding...thankfully Molly loves Peter right back so no broken hearts just yet.

He has been able to add and subtract since he was 3 and can count to 10 in Italian

He loves all of the arts, music, singing, painting, craft of every sort ,playing musical instruments and dancing. He especially likes Elvis and desperately tries to imitate his hip swivel moves

Peter is a wild mixture of loving and caring one minute and an absolute terror in another minute..often wonder if he has multiple personality disorder cause the switch between good and horrid happens very quick some times.

He loves going to church and is as much a christian as a 4 year old can be.

He makes up his own songs...this can be very sweet or totally hilarious

Peter has beautiful blue eyes.

Peter self toilet trained much to mumma and daddy's delight

He was totally devastated 2 years ago (when he was 3) that he didn't get a Dora explorer make up table for Christmas.. he cried for hours on Christmas day that year.

He turns 5 on the 20th of Jan. Peter is a challenge at times he can be cheeky and even an out and out brat, but he is also loving, very compassionate, funny, gentle, sweet, kind, a good friend and an awesome big brother. He gives the best cuddles and our family is very very blessed to have him in it.

Stop bitching and contribute positively please!

2010-01-10T22:35:00.004+11:00

After the past few weeks of facebook status update and comment watching I have been shocked, appalled and at times totally disgusted by some of the things woman have been saying to other woman. Referring to each other as " bitches, weirdo, stupid, fucked, ignorant, intolerant, gross, wrong and freak" just to name a few. Some ladies have gone so low as to stoop to attacking innocent children,its way out of hand.

Personal attacks seem to be a common everyday occurrence at the moment and I am left wondering where has the respect gone? With no topic seeming to be off limits the past few weeks I have sat and watched as friends, acquaintances and even people I don't know come under fire for their personal choices. The criticism, judgement and plain nastiness that has been spewed forth has been nothing short of unbelievable.

Breastfeeding, parenting choices, schooling possibilities, formula feeding, community groups and activities and religious choices all coming under fire. I don't know about you but woman I have had about enough. Now I am not a prude by any means and I myself am guilty of telling someone to fuck off on facebook a couple weeks ago ( this person was attacking my 2 year old Goddaughter and being a tool) but still there was probably a better way to handle the situation.

Woman of the Internet lets get over ourselves and realise we NEED each other. The majority of us are mothers ..I am a mummy of 4 and know that there is no way I could parent my cherubs on my own. I am glad to have a place like facebook where I can put a status update asking a wide variety of people for suggestions or advice on things... for example my littlest bub is teething and I had asked for some advice on alternatives to drugs given they don't seem to be working, and the response was great, but when I see nasty and ignorant comment after comment it really gets me down.

How can we spew forth this venom to each other and possibly think it is acceptable?
If we were teenage girls this would come under the label of cyber bullying and I think it needs to stop. Today I read over 43 comments on a friend/acquaintances status update where she was ripped to shreds for doing something that is perfectly natural and acceptable to her, she was not causing physical harm to anyone or to herself yet she was criticised, judged and put down by several other woman because of her personal choice! Personal choices MUST be respected, even if not agreed upon. We all have the right to choose what works best for us in our family and personal lives and to put someone down for their choice just isn't right. I really think we need to break down the walls of intolerance we have been building around ourselves and work together to gain a greater understanding of what each others values and beliefs are....I think lots of us will be surprised at just how similar we are.

Like I said before we need each other, parenting, working and just being a female in an often male dominated world is hard enough work on its own without attacking each other and making life tougher. If you see something you don't agree with how about saying that's your choice I don't agree with it but I respect you and your right to choose?? Or sticking to that oldie but goodie that our mum's used to say to us... if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all!! That's not to say we cannot express our opinions of course we should but that doesn't have to come in the form of personal attacks. I think we all could be a little more accepting of each others differences and if we see something we don't understand rather then attack it,( or fear it) ask that person about it. I am sure if it means anything of value to them they will be happy to explain it and as previously said you may be surprised at how similar your views are to that of others you may have judged to harshly or quickly in the past.

I love that in Facebook I can connect with such a diverse and wide range of people and am getting to know some beautiful families who parent in very different ways to me (NOTE not wrong just different) I am re establishing past connections with high school friends who have moved into differing and similar areas in life as myself I am friends with hippies, born again Christians,artists, gays and lesbians, people older and younger then myself and academics and I love the wide range of information I get to sift through everyday as I get a small glimpse into The Loves of Other Peoples Lives.

Cloth nappy days are happy days

2010-01-10T01:46:00.011+11:00

There here, there here, there here,they have arrived!!!!

What am I talking about you ask excitedly???

Mikey's new Baby Beehinds Cloth Nappy's!!!! YAY!

Now I realise you may be thinking now why would she be excited over that? Well here are a few reasons Number 1: I will be saving $15 a week (actually $30 in total since both bubba's are now full time cloth nappiers) and who wouldn't love that. Number 2: Knowing I am contributing a little less to the land fill is awesome..(so does this mean I can take longer showers? you know all things being environmentally equal as such, save the land fill but use up the water?)...calm down hippies I am jokin! number 3: they are just so darn cute!!
Seriously after converting to cloth for Miss Ladybug mid last year( and knocking my nappy bill in half in the process) I began to see the many benefits of cloth nappies. Especially with the modern style BBH'S which go on just like a disposable. My buddy Sarah Mc converted me to cloth for the Bug and it has been awesome, having two children in nappies is bloody expensive costing us around $30 a week. So with some encouragement for Sarah Mc...whom for some reason I want to refer to as Macca's LOL Could be that it is almost 2am on Sunday morning when I am drafting this and my mind is fuzzy...anyways where was I?....right with encouragement from Sarah I switched out Miss Ladybug to cloth and it has been simple to do, so I bought Mikey-boy 2 cloth nappy's to see whether I would have the stomach to put an 21 month old in cloth nappy's (seriously his poop is revoltingly gross!!!) but it turns out I can handle poop better then I thought, I am constantly amazed at what I can deal with as a mummy. So after placing an order for 6 more super cute cloth nappies for Mikey they arrived this week YAY!! I am so excited to be switching him over to cloth full time now. My pre-washes are done the nappy's dried and today we went cloth all day for the first time ever with both the baby's...and what do you think happened within 6 minutes of me putting Mikey into his awesome new orange nappy...yep he did a MASSIVE poop in it!! GGrrrr.. oh well I guess when its all said and done that's what nappy's are for and so he got put into his purple one instead.
I am also extremely pleased with myself as I have "turned" my best buddy Meegs into a convert to and she has put her littlest man Drew (whom I refer to as Schmoo... cause it just fits him he is so cute you wanna smoosh him with cuddles) into cloth as well. woo hoo. Our two boys look so cute in their furry minkee nappy's little monkey butts.

Breastfeeding Blues/Boobs of awesomeness

2010-01-08T15:35:00.010+11:00

I am wondering today if there is such a thing as the "breast feeding blues"? Miss Olivia is the first child out of 4 whom I have fully breastfed till she was 6 months old and we introduced solids. I attempted to feed Mikey (3rd baby out of 4) but with little success with him having Hypotonia (low muscle tone) it was impossible for him to suck heartily at the breast and my supply dwindled down I pumped for 4 months and borrowed my friend Sarah's boobs for a feed but as post natal depression and a feelings of inadequacy and detachment set in as I felt like I was feeding a pump not a baby I gave up in despair and switched to formula,(NOTE in those 4 months I also had my appendix removed and wasn't able to feed Mikey for 3 days which did not help the supply situation even with pumping and medications)

Today however as I sat and marveled at the cleverness of my boobs and Gods design for woman as Miss Livvy drank away I also had a feeling of sadness wash over me knowing that Livvy will be turning one in a couple months and that as she grows older her dependence on me for her nutritional and comfort needs will lessen as she moves into eating more solids and drinking water and juice. While my plan is at the moment to continue to feed her till she is 18 months then re assess her and me at the time to see if we continue til she is two, I also know that plans change and can never really be set in stone.

The more I thought about it the angrier I got, when I was pregnant with Malinda (child number 1) I was told by my mother,... (whom at the time was the most important person in my life as I was 19 and a single mum to be) that breastfeeding was to difficult and that I would be much better off at my age just formula feeding. She continued to tell me this throughout the pregnancy and added how hard it was for her trying to breastfeed and how much trouble she had with attempting to feed my brothers and I and that I was setting myself up for failure. I being naive and young believed her and never gave it a go with my daughter, in fact I became terrified of the idea of breastfeeding and even repulsed by the sight of it becoming physically sick if someone would feed their child in front of me gagging involuntary. NO I am not joking ask Sarah Mc who can verify this. I got married and fell pregnant almost right away and again did not even attempt to feed Peter who went straight on to a bottle after being born. Then my good friend Sarah had her baby Iris and I watched at first in horror but then in admiration as she breastfed her daughter without a hitch it seemed so natural and even beautiful that when I fell pregnant with baby number 3 Mikey I thought well if Sarah can do it so can I LOL!!! Whilst my experience with feeding Mikey for those 4 months was not a great one (heehee I just remembered once feeding Mikey on the breast at my mothers place and her giving me a light blanket to cover up with which always makes me laugh given she was present for all 4 of my children's births and saw a whole lot more then my boobies) I came away from it feeling more comfortable with who I was as a woman and confident I had given it my best shot and at least had the experience of breastfeeding as Mikey was going to be my last child HAHAHA.

But as you all know at the end of those 4 months I became pregnant again with Olivia. I had a horrible pregnancy emotionally with Liv I was so not ready to have another child at all let alone so quickly after Mikey being born but here she was on the way. I decided that I was going to breastfeed and was so annoyed by a family member when I was told why would I bother after all the difficulties I had with Mikey GGGRRR!!! Ignoring the comments and criticisms I was determined I was going to make it work and my husband and I thought it would really help bond Olivia and I once she was born given I was having such trouble bonding throughout the pregnancy. Olivia was born and on the breast within 15 minutes of being on the outside LOL Actually she came out with her mouth open almost looking for the boob, and she has remained there ever since and not one issue has arisen since I began feeding her 9 months ago, I have fallen in love with breastfeeding and as previously stated marvel at the awesomeness of my breasts and the fact they sustained my daughter for her first 6 months completely on their own. But again the sadness, she is the last child I will breastfeed, nope no more surprises hubby had the snip and I am sad, angry and feel completely ripped off for not having the support and encouragement to feed my other children. While I am grateful for formula especially in Mikeys case where I felt I just could not do it anymore, there really is no comparison in terms of bottle feeding vs holding your baby snugly across your chest and watching as she nurses from your body.

My 3 other children are all happy healthy and content little monkeys however I do feel like I let them down and should of sought out more information for myself like I have now that I have been feeding Livvy, rather then taking the word of one person who had had a bad experience. Hence the boobie blues question.

Also wanna say a huge THANKS to Meegs, Sarah Mc and Sazz whose long term breastfeeding efforts inspire my boobs to greatness LOL Meaning I think you are all amazing mums who are continuing to give your babies/toddlers the very best start and I hope I can follow in your footsteps. Also Thanks to God for his wonderful creation of the female body and for boobies.

A busy day with girls, giggles and hot chippies.

2010-01-08T02:02:00.023+11:00

Yesterday Jan 7th, Team Tredinnick minus co-captain hubby (who is now back at work) had a fantastically full day busy with visits from people, babysitting my gorgeous God daughter Iris, a trip to the park for a play and some hot chip and a quick visit to Kintara's house to pick up Mikeys new cloth nappies. I love having days where we are constantly doing things it makes entertaining 4 children so much easier and thankfully my 2 little ones will sleep in the pram or wrap on the go so not much interruption to sleep routines take place!

Jo and her 3 little cherubs Molly, Lucy and Ruby arrived around 11am for a play and morning tea. The children got stuck into playing with the new cubby house and slide Lucy and Ruby took great delight in sliding toys down the slide more so then going down themselves. Morning tea quickly followed and the children (all 7 of them) crowed into the kitchen round the table and some into highchairs. Watermelon, grapes, choc wafers and BBQ rice crackers were devoured in no time. With full belly's and energy recharged the kiddies took off outside for more playtime while Jo and I had a gab. Sarah arrived a short time later with Miss Iris and dropped her off without any tears or fuss (Which impressed me). Iris joined in with the games and played well with the kids..Jo thought the house looked like a childcare centre with our kid numbers now reaching 8, poor boys were very out numbered though 2 boys and 6 girls.

It was getting close to lunch time.. well actually it was probably a little past lunch time and Jo decided to join us for a walk to the local takeaway shop where we got some hot chips and set off round the corner to the park. We sat down and once the chips where unwrapped and cooled off the seagulls (children) flew in for food. I thought it very sweet that Molly Lucy and Iris had to eat with plastic forks, such little ladies. Once lunch and juices where gone the children hit the play equipment hard. Giggles could be heard throughout the park . Molly was pretending to be tinker bell who is her most favorite fairy by leaning over the swing and flapping her arms it was incredibly cute. Ruby and Olivia who were both in need of a sleep powered on in their prams with no fuss they both sat watching their siblings play whilst sucking dummy's and cuddling their taggie blankets. Ruby also enjoyed a game of peek-a-boo with her mumma.

After the park we headed home and Jo took the girls home so Ruby could have her afternoon nap. The children all continued to play for a while and Iris took a short break from everyone by having a little rest (NOTE By request!!!) in Mikey's cot, I had to take photo's of this as I think it was about the 3rd time Iris had ever been in a cot ;-) Once energy levels were restored play continued with the kids becoming covered in a thin layer of dirt so a bath was much in need. By the time the baths were done Sarah had arrived to take Iris home. I was feeling a little worn out so opted out of cooking dinner and hubby picked up a vegetarian pizza (my fave).

I headed down to Kintara's place to pick up my order of cloth Nappy's and baby legs which had arrived. AAahhhh so exciting to be able to have enough cloth nappy's for Mikey to go full time in cloth now for both baby's. Woot woot. While there I drooled over Miss Stella's range of Ladybug clothing and am now planning on doing a B and E job to steal them for Olivia hee hee *jokes*

Sue ( my bestie) dropped round for coffee and to have a lesson in True Blood culture. We watched the first 2 episodes and she is now hooked hee hee VAMPIRES ARE FREAKING AWESOME!!! It was fun explaining to her who was who in the show and she left round 11pm taking with her the rest of the series on DVD for her to watch over the weekend...but I reckon she will sit and watch them all in one hit. A great day was had by all the Tredinnicks thank you so much to those who contributed to making it rich in awesomeness. *hugs*